Second Chances
by EvilQueen7928
Summary: AU. Based in StoryBrooke. Emma left for Boston and hasn't been back to StoryBrooke in nearly two years. She's back for her brother's birthday party and that means seeing Regina. Will either woman admit their feelings and finally get their second chance at happiness?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Not a new chapter guys, I realised that I uploaded the wrong file, it's pretty much the same but there's a added a bit about Zelena. I hope you like it and I'm currently working on chapter two.**

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Chapter One

It's been just over two years since Emma left the town of StoryBrooke and all its residents behind. Driving over the town line, she stopped just shy of the welcome to StoryBrooke sign. She turned off the engine, climbed out of her little yellow bug and breathed in the fresh air. Was she doing the right thing, she left for a reason and of course she missed her family but with Henry at college and her marriage to Hook going down in flames, there wasn't much left for her in the sleepy little town she had called home for almost 8 years. StoryBrooke was the place she had lived the longest, of course the reason she stuck around had nothing to do with the town itself. It was too small, too quiet, everyone knew everyone's business and when there wasn't a villain to defeat it was downright boring. After they had defeated the black fairy, the town went back to being just a town. She settled into married life rather quickly but soon realised that having no distractions meant she needed to have a proper conversation with her new husband and as it turned out he was rather dull. Just under six months went by when her and Hook decided to call it quits. Hook wasn't sure when wrong but he took it like a man, he packed up his stuff and moved out of her house. Not long after Emma left, her mother told her that Hook had also left. He packed up, boarded the Jolly Roger and sailed away. Emma looked at her car, looked at the town line and then back to her car.

"It's not like anybody knows I'm here, I could just turn around and leave" she sighed.

She was only visiting for a few days, a week at most. It was Neal's birthday and he demanded that his big sister was there, after all she missed the last two. Emma started to feel sick, she knew the reason but like always she pushed it to the back of her mind. She climbed back into her car, put the engine on and placed her hands on the steering wheel.

"It's now or never."

She continued the drive into the town and as she suspected, nothing had changed. Archie was chasing Pongo up and down the streets, followed by her father. Ruby and Belle were pushing their three-year-old daughter into Granny's, Snow and Ashley were also headed into Granny's. Emma slowed her car and just admired the town, there was nothing like coming home, Emma always liked the familiarity of StoryBrooke. She drove past the town hall just as Regina was parking her car, she stepped out of her car and strutted towards the door of the town hall. Emma tried to look away but she couldn't, Regina was wearing a tight black skirt, purple blouse and purple shoes. Emma could see that she had taken her advice and grown her hair out. Emma glanced back over to Regina just for a couple of seconds, it was a couple of seconds too long.

 **BANG!**

Everything went black, after a minute or two Emma opened her eyes, she could feel a sticky liquid dripping down her head and there was a ringing in her ear. She looked around and could see she had hit a tree.

"For fuck sake Swan."

She traced her fingers along the cut on her head, she realised it was probably a deep cut if the amount of blood on her fingertips was anything to go by. She started to feel woozy, she closed her eyes and woke up a few minutes later.

"Emma, what the hell happened?" Regina shouted.

"Can you lower your voice, I have a headache."

"Miss Swan, you've been back in my town for less than five minutes and you're already destroying it. Don't you think it's about time you got a more reliable vehicle."

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. It wasn't the cars fault, I wasn't paying attention."

Regina placed her hand on the door handle, pulled the door open and helped Emma out of the car. She didn't expect the first time she would see Emma again, would be quite like this.

"Emma, your head looks really bad. Let me fix it, you probably don't want to spend the next few hours down the hospital. I'm assuming your only staying a week at most, so you probably want to spend it with your family and not in A&E."

"More like 3 days, I've got to head back to work."

"Oh, right."

Regina tried to hide her disappointment but Emma could hear it in her voice.

"I think I might need to stay a little longer though, my car looks pretty beat up and might take a week or so to fix. But don't think I'm leaving without having some world-famous Regina Mills lasagne"

"I haven't made lasagne since the last time Henry visited and that was almost 5 months ago."

"Is he coming for Neal's party?"

"The last time I spoke to him was a few days ago and he said that he was coming home on Saturday for the summer holidays."

"How long is that?" she asked.

"He heads back in September so nearly 3 months, I think he's planning to come and stay with you for a month just before he goes back."

"That will be nice, it's pretty lonely in Boston. It must be nice that you've got Zelena and Robin to go back to every night."

"It was your decision to up and leave. If you're lonely then you've got nobody to blame but yourself. If you bothered to speak to me about anything other than Henry you would know that Zelena left over 8 months ago" Regina snapped.

She didn't mean to sound so horrible, but with both Henry, Emma and Zelena gone she was just as lonely as Emma, probably even more. She always had Henry to keep her company and when he left she had Zelena and Robin but with them both gone she didn't have anything. During the days, it was fine as she had work and spent time with the Charming's, it was at night when she really felt alone.

"Regina, you know why I had to leave. I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch and that I didn't know about Zelena, why did she leave?"

"No, actually I don't. Things got tough and you ran. You went back to your old Emma Swan ways and honestly did leaving really make you feel any better? Zelena took Robin to visit Roland and well, she fell in love with one of the Merry Men and decided not to come back. But what did I expect, everyone leaves."

Emma didn't want to get into all this right now, after all she had just crashed her car and her head was killing.

"Regina, can you please just heal my head please."

"Fine" Regina huffed.

"I'm sorry about Zelena, but at least she's happy right, that's got to count for something."

Regina placed her hands-on Emma's head, lightly ran her fingertips along the cut.

"You weren't even going that fast Em and you still managed to do some damage."

"How did you know I weren't going that fast, you had your back to me."

"Your father sent me a message letting me know you had finally plucked up the courage to crawl out from under that Boston rock and was back in town. Just as I parked the car I seen you drive passed me."

Emma wasn't sure why her dad had text Regina letting her know she was in town or why Regina even cared. The two months before she had left Regina hardly spoke to her and Emma wasn't sure why. While she was in Boston they had exchange a few texts a month but it was mainly about Henry and his schedule but nothing more.

Emma's head started to feel so much better, she placed her fingers on her head and there was no more cut.

"Thank you."

"It's not a problem, now I suggest you find someone to tow your car to the garage because it's making my town untidy."

"I will get that done right away, are you coming over for dinner tonight?"

"I'm going to give it a miss tonight, I've got a lot of work to do. Tell Snow I will see her tomorrow to finalise everything for Neal's party."

"I thought that you always had dinner at my parents on a Thursday night?"

"Yes, normally I do but tonight I'm busy."

"Regina, what the hell is your problem?"

"I have no idea what you're referring to. I've got a rather important meeting so I better go. I will see you at Neal's party."

Regina turned around and walked towards the town hall. She didn't mean to be so harsh but Emma had just turned up and was acting like nothing had happened. Emma wasn't sure what had just happened or why Regina was being so cold towards her but she knew now wasn't the time to start an argument. She had so much catching up to do and arguing with Regina was not how she wanted to spend the little time she was in town.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Henry is home early and wants to know why Regina hates Emma, Snow wants to know why Regina won't attend their family dinner and Ruby wants to know if Regina will ever tell Emma how she feels. Will Regina come clean with Emma and finally admit her feelings.**

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Chapter Two

Regina slammed the door of her office. How could one woman being so infuriating, Emma had only been back less than twenty minutes and she was already driving her crazy. Regina knew deep down why she was so upset but she wasn't ever going to tell Emma. She knew bringing up her feelings would cause so many problems, besides Emma wasn't staying for long. She knew once Emma had headed back to Boston she could stuff her feelings back down again. Regina walked over to her liquor cabinet, grabbed herself a bottle of Whisky and a glass. She filled the glass to the brim a and walked over to her desk. She was just about to sit down when the door to her office opened.

"Don't you think it's a bit early to be drinking."

"Henry, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Thanks for the warm welcome mum, I will just leave you to it then."

"Darling, don't be silly. Come over here and give me a hug. I didn't expect you until Saturday, I haven't made your room up yet" she sighed.

"Don't sweat it mum. I was always coming home today, I just wanted it to be a surprise."

Henry walked over to Regina and pulled her into a hug. She really wished he would stop growing, even when she's wearing her highest heels, he still towered over her.

"Have you been to see Emma yet?" She asked.

"No, I didn't know Ma was here. I didn't expect her to actually come back."

"She arrived about half an hour ago."

"That explains it then" he muttered.

"Explains what?" she questioned.

"Nothing."

"Henry Daniel Mills I suggest you tell me what you meant."

Henry looked at the floor and shuffled back and forth.

"It's, well, you get so crazy when it comes to Ma. When she left you spent almost a week sitting in your PJS watching Grey's Anatomy from start to finish. She's been back less than an hour and you've already turned to drink."

Regina sat down and placed her hand on her temple, she was starting to get a headache.

"Dear, you know very well that I wasn't very well and that's the only reason I was home all week."

"That's bullshit" he snapped.

"Watch your language."

"I'm sorry, it's just that the whole time I was growing up even if you were really poorly, you still got up, got dressed and went on with your day."

"That's because when you're a parent you get on with your day no matter how ill you are. You're an adult now and you don't need me to look after you."

Henry didn't say anything, he picked up the glass of whisky, walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured it back into the bottle.

"Henry what are you doing?"

"Mum, you know that drinking isn't the answer, whatever your problem is you need to face it head on."

Regina knew he was right but she wouldn't even know where to start. She had always feared rejection and that's why she kept her feelings bottled up but with Emma in town it was easier said than done.

"Dear, please just forget about it. I want you to enjoy your time at home and not spend it worrying about me."

"Mum, about that."

"What is it darling?"

Before Henry had chance to answer there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Regina, is there any particular reason that you're not coming over for dinner tonight?" Snow asked.

"I'm assuming Emma has already told you the reason I'm not able to make it tonight, so I don't understand why you would walk all the way over here to get the same answer."

"Henry, I didn't think you were back until Saturday. Emma never mentioned that you were home."

Henry walked over to Snow and pulled her into a hug.

"I wish you would stop growing. Will you be joining us tonight?"

"I'm not sure."

"Darling, if you want to go tonight then that's perfectly fine. I'm sure Emma would like to see you and I know Neal is missing you."

"I would love to see everyone but I don't want to leave you on your own."

"Dear, I will be okay. I've got a mountain of work to get through" she sighed.

She knew she was being stupid, she couldn't avoid Emma the whole time she was here. Tonight, however she just needed to spend some time alone with a bottle of wine or maybe two.

"Mum, please don't make me choose. I came home today hoping we could all get together like old times. I really miss being able to spend time with everyone" he sighed.

Henry was trying to guilt trip her and it was working.

"Regina, Henry's right. It's tradition and it's been so long since everyone has been together. I've invited Belle, Ruby, Granny, Archie, and Ashely. It's going to be at Granny's at 7:00pm, I hope to see you both there."

Snow hugged Henry again, kissed him on the cheek and smiled at Regina.

"Bye Grandma."

"Bye Henry, do you want me to let Emma know you're here?"

"No, it's okay, I want to surprise everyone."

"I will see you later then."

Snow walked out of Regina's office and closed the door behind her.

"Mum, what's your problem with Ma?"

"Darling, I don't have a problem with Emma."

Henry wasn't going to drop this, as he got older it got harder and harder to distract him and he usually found out what he wanted to know.

"You promised me you wouldn't lie to me again. I know you've been at Grandpa and Grandma's every Thursday for dinner without fail since Ma left and now she's back you're too busy. What's happened, why do you hate Ma?"

Regina looked at the ground, ran her hands through her hair and sat down behind her desk.

"Henry, it's complicated and that's all I will say on the matter."

"Fine, will you please come to dinner. Everyone will be there so you won't even need to talk to Ma."

Regina wasn't in the mood to go to a family meal but she knew it was important to Henry.

"Okay dear. How about you head home, take a shower and I will finish up here. We can spend some time together before we go to Granny's."

"Thank you Mum, I really appreciate you coming with me. I really need to speak to you and Ma at some point though."

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, I just need to discuss a few things with you both."

"Is it important or can it wait?" she asked.

"No, it can wait."

"You sure?"

"Yes, we can meet for breakfast one morning and I will tell you everything."

Regina was starting to get worried, it must be something important if he wants to meet with her and Emma.

"I suppose that sounds okay."

"Thank you, I'm going to take some flowers by Dad and Robins grave before I head home."

"That's a good idea dear. I will see you in a little while."

Henry leaned down, kissed Regina on the cheek and left her office. He closed the door and a few seconds later it was pushed open again.

"Didn't anyone till you it's rude to just barge into someone's office without knocking."

"They did, but I didn't listen. Have you seen her yet?" Ruby asked.

"If you're referring to Emma, then yes I have seen her. She crashed her car into the tree outside and I healed her head."

"How was it?"

"Her head had a pretty deep cut and her car needs repairing."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"It was horrible" she sighed.

"What do you mean it was horrible?"

"I tried to hide how I felt but I can't forgive her."

"She didn't really do anything wrong Regina."

"She's your best friend, of course you're going to say that" Regina sighed.

"Regina, you're my best friend too. Since Emma left you've been there with me through everything, the fights with Belle, helping with Esme and just being there for me when I needed a friend. Emma didn't know how you felt before she left and she still doesn't. You can't blame her for wanting to move on with her life."

"I don't blame her for wanting to move on with her life, it's just she didn't even say goodbye when she left. I was ready to tell her how I felt, she just packed up her car and left."

"Now she's back, are you going to tell her?"

"I think that ship has sailed, it's too late now. I'm just going to see be civil when we're around each other and push my feelings down until she's gone."

"That's not healthy, you won't know if she feels the same unless you tell her."

Regina knew Ruby was right, she needed to tell Emma how she felt. The worst that could happen was Emma didn't feel the same and they were awkward around each other for a few days but then Emma will pack up to leave and they won't see each other for another year or so.

"You're right, I'm going to tell her how I feel."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N New chapter guys :). This is a super long one, some truths hit home for Emma and a mysterious woman comes to the town. I hope you like it guys :).**

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Chapter Three

Emma was sprawled out on the couch when her mother walked through the door.

"Emma, what exactly did you do to Regina?" she asked.

"I haven't done anything to Regina."

"You must have done something, she comes to Thursday night dinner every Thursday without fail, you turn up and suddenly she's busy."

"Haven't you learnt by now that Regina Mills is a complicated woman."

Emma really wished she knew what was wrong with Regina, if it was anyone else she would just ask them outright but she knew Regina wouldn't tell her. Snow walked into the kitchen, grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked back to her daughter.

"Here, how long are you planning on staying?" she asked.

"Well my car won't be fixed for at least a week, maybe ten days. Once it's back on the roads I will be heading back."

"Emma, you should really buy a more reliable car."

"Fuck me, did you and Regina arrange to have an intervention about my car because she said the same. I can just about afford to live let alone buy a new car. So please just drop it" she huffed.

Snow sat down next to Emma and placed her hand on her daughter's knee.

"Emma, you know if you moved back here money wouldn't be a problem. You could stay here for a couple of months, go back to being sheriff and when you've given the dwarfs enough notice you can have your house back."

Emma knew Snow was right, she hated living in Boston and she really missed her family. She wasn't sure if moving back home was right for her but then again, she wasn't sure if going back to Boston was right either.

"I will think about it" she sighed.

"That's all I'm asking, why don't you go unpack and then take a shower ready for tonight."

Emma finished her beer, walked over to the fridge and grabbed another one.

"I'm going to drink this then have a lie down, my head is pounding."

Snow took the beer out of Emma's hand.

"If your head is hurting I don't think it's a wise idea to be drinking."

"You might be right" Emma sighed.

"Haven't you learnt by now that your mother is always right."

Snow placed the beer on the kitchen counter just as her phone started to vibrate. She picked up the phone, checked the message and placed it in her back pocket.

"Who was that?"

"It was Henry, he wanted me to know that he's convinced Regina to come tonight."

"Henry is back, I thought he wasn't back until Saturday?. I'm glad Regina is able to make it, it will be nice for us to have a proper family meal, it's been a while."

"Henry came home early to surprise Regina. I'm sorry to say this Emma, but we've had lots of family meals since you've been gone. We didn't stop being a family because you left."

"I don't get it."

"What do you mean?"

"Every single one of you told me I was doing the right thing, well all of you expect Regina who didn't speak to me before I left. I've come home and all of you are acting like I just abandoned you."

"We told you to go because we thought it was what you needed. But to be honest Em, you did abandon us. In the two and a half years, you've been gone you never once visited or invited us to see you. It's almost as if you went back to the old Emma Swan, the one before you knew you had a family" Snow sighed.

Emma knew it was true, she didn't mean to cut ties with everyone but it was easier that way.

"I'm sorry."

Emma wasn't sure what else she could say, she knew she was in the wrong but there was nothing she could do to change it.

"It's okay, just try and do better when you go back. Come and visit at holidays, invite us to come and stay with you and keep in contact."

"I will try and do better. I'm going to have a lie down."

"Okay, well I'm going to pick Neal up from his play date. I should be home in about an hour so make the most of the peace and quiet."

Snow headed to the kitchen, grabbed herself a bottle of water and left to pick Neal up. Emma knew she should probably have a shower before tonight but she was exhausted. Her head started to feel fuzzy and she wasn't sure if she would even make it upstairs. She sat down on the edge of the couch and closed her eyes. Emma wasn't sure how long she had been asleep for but she knew it was longer than an hour.

"Mum, can I show Emma my drawing now?" Neal asked.

"Wait until your sister is awake."

"She is awake" he huffed.

"Neal what have I told you about lying?" she asked.

"That if I lie my nose will grow like Pinocchio but Mum I'm not lying."

Emma sat up, pulled Neal onto her lap and started to tickle him. She couldn't believe that her little brother who was just one and a half when she left would be turning five on Saturday.

"Hey Buddy, what's this drawing you want to show me then?" Emma asked.

Neal jumped off Emma's lap, skipped over to the table, grabbed the drawing then jumped back over to Emma. Emma looked at the drawing it was pretty good considering a four-year-old drew it.

"What is it then?" Emma asked.

"It's our family silly. There's Mum, Dad, Henry, Aunty Gina, Belle, Ruby, Esme and you" he explained.

Emma looked at Snow and raised her eyebrows. She didn't have a clue why Neal would be calling his step grandmother Aunty.

"Aunty Gina?"

"Regina didn't want to be Grandma Gina which I understand. We decided that Aunty Gina would be easier for everyone and after all that's what Esme calls her as well."

"I understand that, what I don't understand is when Regina started letting anyone call her Gina?"

"She doesn't let any of us call her Gina, just Neal and Esme. It was easier for them to say than Regina. Even though she says she hates it, deep down I think she likes having a nickname."

"Where did you say I was on this picture then buddy?" Emma asked.

She looked real hard but she couldn't figure out which one she was.

"You are over there."

Emma looked to where Neal was pointing and sighed. He had drawn her on the back of the page, she was in her little yellow bug with a sign over her saying we miss you.

She tried to hide her disappointment, she wasn't hiding it from Neal because he wouldn't understand why she was upset but she knew Snow would.

"That's really great kid."

Emma picked Neal up, placed him on the floor in front of her and ran off to the bathroom. She locked the door, sat on the floor and leaned her head against the door. She knew she had no one to blame but herself but she had missed so much. She wished she had come back sooner, but as it was her fault she couldn't mope around. She pushed herself up off the floor, turned the cold tap on and splashed some cold water on her face. She heard more voices coming from the living room, she pulled open the door and joined her family. Ruby walked over to her best friend and pulled her into a hug.

"I've missed you so much."

"I'm sorry, I haven't been in touch" Emma sighed.

"Don't worry about it, I understand you've been busy. How about you come and say hello to your niece."

Emma walked over to Neal and Esme, she knelled down in front of the little girl. She had dark brown eyes, light brown hair and the biggest dimples Emma had ever seen on a child. She was the spitting image of both her mothers and Emma was glad Regina could make it so Esme would be a mix of Ruby and Belle.

"Hello beautiful girl, I've missed you."

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers, sorry" Esme explained.

She ran over to her mothers and hid behind Ruby's leg. Belle knelt in front of Esme and scooped her daughter into her arms.

"Esme, this is your Aunty Emma. Say hello."

"Mummy don't be silly, I don't have an Aunty Emma. I only have an Aunty Snow and Aunty Gina" Esme huffed.

"You were just a baby the last time I saw you, that's why you don't recognise me."

Emma walked over to the kitchen counter, grabbed her wallet and pulled out a picture before walking back to Esme. She knelt in front of the little girl and showed her the picture.

"See that's you and I on your first birthday."

"It sort of looks like me, but if you're my aunty then why didn't you come to my other birthdays or give me presents?"

Emma had to admit the kid was very smart for her age, she must get that from Belle because Ruby lacked any sort of brains but she did have lots of common sense.

"I'm sorry."

Esme wrapped her little arms around Emma's neck and kissed her cheek.

"It's okay."

She let go of the blonde, hopped off her lap and ran back over to Neal. Emma was surprised how forgiving the little girl was and she wished the rest of her family could be like that.

"Emma, were going to head to Granny's are you coming with us?" Snow asked.

"I'm going to get changed and then I will come over."

"Your father is meeting us there after he's bailed Leeroy out so you might see him on the way."

Belle picked up Esme and grabbed hold of Ruby's hand.

"We will see you at Granny's then Em."

Belle, Ruby, Esme, Snow and Neal all headed off to Granny's leaving Emma on her own. She took off her current tank top, opened her bag and pulled out a white tank top. She pulled the tank top over her head, ran her fingers through her hair and decided it was time to leave. She knew if she didn't head to Granny's soon someone would come to find her. She closed her eyes and a few seconds later she appeared outside Granny's. Emma looked in the window and could see everyone was already in there waiting for her. She took a deep breath, walked up the steps and pushed the door open. Emma wasn't sure how everyone was going to react to her being back, she just hoped it wasn't going to be awkward. As she expected the first person to come over to her was Henry.

"Ma, I've missed you. Grandma said you're thinking about moving back."

Emma pulled Henry into a hug and kissed the top of his head.

"I missed you too kid and yes I'm thinking about it."

Henry pulled away from the hug and sighed.

"I hope you decide to stay, it's not the same without you."

"Can you go and get me a drink while I speak to Ruby and Belle?"

"Yes of course I can."

Henry walked away to get Emma her drink and Emma headed over to Ruby and Belle.

"Can I ask you both a question?"

"Shoot."

"Do you think I abandoned you all when I left for Boston?"

Both Ruby and Belle looked down to the floor.

"I don't know what you want us to say Emma."

"The truth" Emma sighed.

"Okay then. Well when your marriage went down in flames, you did what you always do and you ran. You didn't think how it would affect the rest of us. You were selfish Em and you can't except everyone to forgive you right away."

Emma knew she was right, she was being selfish when she packed up and left. She didn't think how it would affect her family, she just left.

From the second Emma walked into Granny's Regina couldn't take her eyes off the blonde and she wasn't sure why. She loved how Emma looked in a tank top and the fact Emma was wearing a white tank top with a black bra made it even harder to look away. After a few more minutes of watching Emma, Regina decided it was time to make her move. She downed her drink, straightened out her dress and pushed herself out of the booth. She knew if she didn't at least try and explain her feelings to Emma she never would. She didn't want Emma to leave without knowing how she felt, after all she owed it to herself to try and get some sort of happiness.

"Emma can I talk you to a moment?"

"Yeah sure."

Regina looked at Ruby and Belle then back to Emma.

"I meant alone"

Ruby gave Regina a knowing look, she grabbed Belles arm and pulled her away.

"Oh, is everything okay?" she asked.

"Maybe it's better if we discuss this outside."

Regina placed her hand on the door and was just about to open it when the door swung forward and knocked her to the ground.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

Regina looked up at the person holding their hand out to help her up. She hadn't ever seen this woman in town before and for some reason the woman made her feel awfully uneasy. Regina pushed herself up off the floor, dusted off her dress and looked over to Emma. The blonde had turned a light shade of white, it was almost as if she had seen a ghost. A few seconds later and the woman was surrounded by half the town.

"I am really sorry about knocking you down, I wasn't sure if I had the right place and when I realised I did, I got rather excited."

"It's perfectly fine, no harm was done."

"That's okay then, I wouldn't have made a good first impression if I had sent someone to hospital my first night in town. Can I just say this is a very strange looking town and I've never heard of it before."

Regina realised with this woman in town she would need to limit her magic to a minimum. She had no idea who this woman was or even how she knew to find the town. After a few seconds Regina remembered she lifted the cloak on the town so that Henry and the others could come back from college with no problems. She was going to put it back on Saturday after Henry had arrived. It still didn't explain why the young woman was there, if you didn't know about StoryBrooke you wouldn't come looking for it.

"Dear, you still haven't introduced yourself or explained what you're doing in my town. We never get visitors so it's rather odd for you to just show up here" Regina stated.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Yes, you keep saying that but we're no closer to knowing who you are."

Snow walked over to Regina, placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Be nice."

Regina had noticed Emma had slipped away to the back of the crowd and she wasn't sure why.

"Let me try this again, my name is Jasmin Davies, I'm here to see my girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you Miss Davies, who exactly is your girlfriend?" Regina questioned.

Jasmine walked through the crowd of people and stopped right in front of Emma.

"I'm sure you all know my girlfriend and Emma I'm rather insulted you haven't told your friends about me."

Emma didn't know what to think or what to say. She didn't expect Jas to turn up out of the blue and as for calling Emma her girlfriend that was a big surprise. Emma started to feel dizzy, she wasn't sure if it was from her head injury earlier or the fact she had a lot of explaining to do. Henry stepped out from behind his grandparents and walked over to Emma.

"Ma, you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend" he sighed.

"Ma, is that some sort of nickname?" Jas asked

Regina could tell Emma had clearly only dated Jasmine based on her looks because what else did the young woman really have going for herself.

"No, Emma is my mother" Henry huffed.

"Emma, is this boy okay? I'm sorry kid but Emma doesn't have a son."

Emma could see the hurt on Henrys face and so could Regina.

"Dear, come on let's head home."

Regina wrapped her arms around Henrys shoulders and led him out of Granny's. Emma chased after them, just as she got to the door she realised she needed to get Jas out of there before she said something stupid.

"So where did you meet Emma?" Snow asked.

Emma realised she probably hurt her parents too, she couldn't explain any of her situation to Jas so if she asked Emma would just tell her Snow and David were her friends.

"We met in a strip club about 3 months ago."

"Oh, so you work in a strip club?" Ruby questioned.

"No, Emma does."

Everyone turned to look at Emma, who was now stood at the door of Granny's with her head down and was slowly turning a deep shade of red. She was so ashamed, she hoped her family would never find that out. Emma stormed over to Jas grabbed her arm and pulled her out of Granny's.

"Em what the hell."

Henry and Regina were sat on the bench outside Granny's.

"There's a bar over there, here's some money. Buy yourself a drink and don't speak to anyone" Emma ordered.

"You're no fun" Jas wined

"Go."

Jas made her way over to the Rabbit Hole. Emma walked over to the bench and sat next to Henry.

"Kid, please let me explain" she pleaded.

"You have one minute."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell Jas about you. She's not really my girlfriend it's just a bit of fun. We haven't been dating that long and well when we spend time together we don't do much talking."

Shit Emma knew she shouldn't have said that.

"That's gross."

"Miss Swan, that's not something you should be telling a teenager. I think your minute is up. I will be taking MY son home and when you've gotten rid of that woman then and only then may you come and apologise."

Regina and Henry stood up and walked to Regina's car.

"I get why Henry is pissed but I've haven't done anything to hurt you" Emma called.

"You have no idea" Regina muttered.

She climbed into the car and drove off, leaving Emma standing alone outside Granny's wondering what the hell had just happened.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm so sorry it's been a while since I've updated. I've been so busy with work and there's been very exciting developments in my life so writing has taken a back seat but I'm hoping to get back to it now. I have a lot going on but I still want to try update pretty regular. So here's a new chapter guys, Henry thinks Emma is ashamed of him, Ruby comes over to check on Regina and then Regina's feelings explode when Emma comes over to apologise.**

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter guys :)**

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Chapter Four

The drive back home was quiet. Regina tried to talk to Henry but he just shrugged it off. Regina wasn't sure why Emma would want to hide the fact she had a son but she would get to the bottom of it one way or another. Regina pulled up on the drive, turned the engine off and faced Henry.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked.

Henry nodded his head. Regina opened the door placed one foot on the floor. Just as she was about to step out of the car, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Mum, is Emma ashamed of me. Is that why she didn't tell Jas about me? He asked.

Hearing Henry ask that question broke Regina's heart. Regina wasn't sure how to answer, she was furious with Emma and she didn't want her feelings to affect her answer.

"Dear, Emma isn't ashamed of you."

"It seems like that to me, you've always been proud of me and brag about me to anyone that would listen. But Emma didn't tell her girlfriend about me, how was she going to explain who I was when went to visit at the end of the summer."

"Ha, girlfriend" Regina snorted.

She didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Well, Jas is her girlfriend, isn't she?"

Regina wasn't sure who that woman was, Emma had made out like she was nothing but a bit of fun and Jas had told the whole town Emma was her girlfriend.

"Darling, I'm not sure. Personally, I don't think Jas is anything more than friends with benefits."

"I didn't even know that Ma was lesbian or bisexual, all of this is very strange" Henry sighed.

"Would you have a problem if Emma was bisexual or even a lesbian?" Regina asked.

"No of course not, as long as you're both happy then that's all that matters to me."

Regina leaned over, kissed Henrys cheek and then ruffled his hair.

"You're a good kid you know that?"

"Well, I was raised by the best. I'm going to head in and make a start on dinner. Is there anything you fancy?"

"No, I'm not really hungry. So, whatever you fancy is fine with me."

Regina couldn't even think of eating, the thought of Emma and that woman having sex made her feel sick. She didn't want to imagine the two together but for some reason she couldn't get the images out of her head. Henry nodded and climbed out of the car. Regina watched as her son walked into the house, when she was sure he was gone she placed her head on the steering wheel and took small deep breaths. She was trying not to get worked up but the Emma that left, her Emma, wasn't the Emma that had come back to StoryBrooke. Okay, she knew Emma wasn't hers and by the looks of things probably wouldn't ever be hers. After a few minutes of calming herself down, Regina was ready to head inside. She pulled her head away from the steering wheel and let her eyes adjust to the light.

"Shit, how long have you been sitting there?"

"Only a couple of minutes, are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"A couple of minutes and you didn't make me aware of your presence."

"I called your name a few times but you didn't acknowledge me so I decided I would wait until you had calmed down."

"I'm fine, I don't need to calm down."

"Regina, don't lie to me. I'm your best friend, if you can't tell me how you feel then who can you tell" she sighed.

"I'm not in the mood to discuss my feelings, with you or anybody else. Did you know?"

"Did I know that Emma was working as a stripper or that she had a girlfriend. No of course not, if I did do you think I would have told you to give it a go. Whenever Emma and I speak it's mainly about Belle, Esme, Henry and well, you" Ruby explained.

"Excuse me, did you say STRIPPER. Regina questioned.

"Shit, I forgot you had left Granny's before Jas told us Emma was a stripper and that's how they met."

Regina was in complete shock, Emma working as a stripper, letting dirty old men watch as she took her clothes off. She felt sick, she needed some fresh air, she pushed the car door open and rushed out. She couldn't breathe, she sat on the floor and placed her head between her knees. When she was married to Leopold she would often have panic attacks so she knew exactly what they felt like and how to deal with them. She wasn't sure why the thought of Emma being a stripper made her feel like this. Emma wasn't really anything to her, of course over the years they had become friends but that was it. Being a stripper was such a degrading job and Regina didn't have a clue why Emma would have gone into that line of work, she was so good at being a bail bondswoman, and Regina always thought when she moved to Boston she would just go back to doing what she was good at.

After about five minutes Regina steadied her breathing. She lifted her head off her knees and felt a hand on her shoulder, she pushed herself off the floor and turned to look at Ruby.

"Come on let's get you inside, you've been out here a while and I'm sure it won't be long until Henry comes out looking for you."

Regina grabbed her things from the car, slammed the door and locked the car. She needed a large drink but she knew Henry wouldn't approve. Ruby placed her arms around Regina's shoulders and led Regina towards the house. Ruby pushed the front door open and walked inside. Sat at the bottom of the stairs was Henry, it was clear he has witnessed the whole thing and was worried about his mother.

"Mum, are you okay?"

"She's fine, she just feels a bit sick. How about you make her a nice cup of tea while I help her into the living room."

Henry looked between his mother and Ruby, he could sense something wasn't right. He decided it was best to leave it, it's not like they would tell him anyway, they still treat him like a kid.

He nodded and headed into the kitchen. Regina felt broken, she wasn't sure why all of this was affecting her so much. After all Emma's an adult, if she wants to take her clothes off for money and have meaningless sex with bimbos that was her choice. She could be home in StoryBrooke with her and Henry but that's clearly not what the blonde wanted. Ruby walked Regina into the living room and sat her down on the couch.

"Are you going to tell Henry?" Ruby asked.

"Tell him what, that his Emma is a whore or that I'm in love with her and I thought she might actually feel the same" she sighed.

"Don't you think whore is a strong word."

"Okay, I don't think that she's a whore. I'm just really hurting right now. I really thought Emma felt the same, I thought we were going to be a proper family. I was ready to sit her down and tell her that for the past two years she's been all I've thought about and I'm completely head over heels in love with her. I'm the Evil Queen I'm not supposed to feel like this, I'm not supposed to be in love with the Saviour."

Regina knew that was a lot to unload but like Ruby said if she can't tell her best friend who could she tell. Her mother had always told her love was weakness and it wasn't proper to talk about your feelings because nobody really cared. Other the last few years she had gotten better at discussing her feelings especially with Henry and occasionally with Ruby.

"Regina, you can't help who you fall in love with. I never expected to fall for Belle but now we've got a beautiful daughter together and life is pretty perfect. You need to sit Emma down and talk to her."

"I can't."

"Why can't you?" Ruby asked.

"I can't face rejection, what if she doesn't feel the same, what if her and Jas are a real thing and I make a fool out of myself" she muttered.

"What if she does feel the same, what if her and Jas aren't a real thing and you don't make a fool out of yourself. Being honest with Emma and letting her in could be the best thing to happen to you. What's the worst that could happen?"

"She could tell me I'm out of my mind and how could I think anyone could love someone like me."

"Stop putting yourself down, the Regina I know is a force of nature and one of the strongest women I've ever met, what happened to her?"

"That woman lost a lot of battles and doesn't have any more fight to give."

"Just give it a go, if she doesn't feel the same then you move on and get over it. Emma will head back to Boston and you will go back to not seeing each other. You can forget all about it and get on with your life."

Regina knew Ruby was right, If Emma didn't feel the same then she could avoid Emma until she headed back to Boston.

"Are you okay now?" Ruby asked.

"Of course, you can go. I bet Esme is missing you. Tell her that Aunty Gina apologises for leaving and I will take her for ice cream very soon."

"Are you sure?"

"Ruby I really appreciate everything you've done for me today but I need some time on my own to process all of this."

Ruby leaned down and pressed a kiss to Regina's cheek.

"You know I'm only a phone call away if you need me."

"Thank you."

Ruby walked out of the living room but stood in the doorway for a minute. Regina could sense she was reluctant to leave.

"Ruby, I'm fine."

"I know you are, it's just I've never seen you so broken. You weren't even like this when..."

"Don't say it" Regina snapped.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to bring him up but it's true. I've known you for a lot of years and I know Robin was supposed to be your true love but I don't believe that was true. I think that everything that brought Emma here had nothing to do with her breaking the curse, I think she was meant to come here to save you."

From the moment she had set eyes on the blonde, she knew that she was going to turn her world upside down but she didn't expect it to be like this. Of course she loved Robin, he was everything she could want in a man but maybe the problem was that he was a man. Whenever she had sex with him it was good but it always felt like something was missing and she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Ruby don't be ridiculous."

"Regina, I'm not being ridiculous. You can't tell me you haven't wondered the same. The amount you and Emma fought, if you were a couple the makeup sex would have been amazing. Answer me one question and I will leave."

Regina knew she had no choice, Ruby was almost as stubborn as her.

"Fine, if I must."

"Have you ever actually had an orgasm?" Ruby questioned.

"That's an absurd question!"

"I will take your response as a no. When I was sleeping with men I had maybe one or two orgasms. It took me so long to have one I thought there was something wrong with me. Every time I have sex with Belle I'm guaranteed to have 8/9 orgasms, I realised I wasn't broken and you've got to have a real connection with someone before you feel anything."

Regina didn't know what to say.

"8 or 9 orgasms... how?" She muttered.

"Lesbian sex is amazing, it's all about giving, it's about the connection you have with a person and not getting to the end goal. Don't get me wrong the end goal is just as amazing but it's the build-up, the teasing that's what makes it mind blowing. It's when you're right on the edge and she hasn't even touched you properly, it's when your led there completely at her mercy and she still don't give you want you want." She explained.

"Okay, I don't need to know anymore."

The thought of having any of that with Emma was making Regina feel very hot and bothered. She could feel her cheeks starting to get flush and she was worried Ruby would notice.

" I will leave you to ponder that" Ruby giggled.

"Goodbye Ruby."

"Bye, don't forget you promised to babysit Esme tomorrow night."

Regina had completely forgotten but she wasn't going to let Ruby know that.

"Of course, I won't forget" she sighed.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"Only for a split second, all I can think about is Emma and Jas. I'm sorry. Having Esme will keep me distracted and I need that right now. Drop her off around 6:30."

"I will see you tomorrow."

Ruby hugged Regina and left the brunette alone with her thoughts.

Could Emma really be her true love, was she really destined to save Regina. She walked over to the drinks cabinet, grabbed a bottle of Whisky and poured herself a large glass. She placed the bottle back in the cabinet just as the doorbell rang. She downed her drink, placed the glass on the cabinet and walked towards the door. She pulled open the door and walked back into the house. She didn't even check who was at the door as she assumed it was just Ruby.

"Ruby, I'm fine and you know you don't need to knock" she huffed.

"Regina."

Regina's heart started to race, her mouth suddenly went dry and her face faded to an ashy tone. She spun around and stormed over to the door.

"You shouldn't be here" she snapped.

"Regina, please let me explain."

"Let you explain what. The fact that you never told your girlfriend you had a son, I don't think you realise how much that hurt Henry. He acts like he can take on the world but deep down he's still that little boy that went to find his birth mother so she could save everyone."

"I'm sorry" Emma muttered.

"Sorry, you're fucking sorry. Sorry is nothing more than a five-letter word. You've hurt me Emma...I mean it hurts me to see Henry doubt how you feel about him. He's heartbroken, he thinks you're ashamed of him. You've picked your girlfriend over your own fucking son, why type of woman does that" she yelled.

Regina was trying to keep all her feelings deep down but they just erupted and there was no going back now.

"Will you let me explain?" Emma pleaded.

"I don't want your explanation and I don't want you speaking to Henry either. He needs some space."

"That's not really your decision to make" Emma argued.

"You might have given birth to him but that won't ever make him _YOUR_ son. You stayed around for a while and did your motherly duties but the moment things got hard you abandoned him for a second time. The difference this time round was he was old enough to understand."

Regina didn't mean any of that, not really but every time she tried to stop herself images of Emma and Jas flashed in her mind and it made her angry again.

"Regina that's out of order. From the day, he came to find me I've always been there for him."

"You were only around when you didn't have a man to occupy your time and now you've slept with most of the male population you've moved on to the females. I think it's time for you to leave Miss Swan" Regina snapped.

She placed her hand on the door and pushed it closed. Before the door closed Emma placed her foot in front of it.

"Don't Miss Swan me we've been through too much, if I want to talk to my son then I will."

"I told you you've really hurt him and you need to give him some space."

"Regina, please. He needs to know I'm sorry."

"No Emma, what you need to do, is get your girlfriend out of my town. It was really irresponsible letting her come here and you need to fix this mess."

Emma moved her foot from the door and Regina slammed the door in her face. Emma knew she had really messed up this time and she needed to fix it but first she needed to get Jas out of StoryBrooke.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Finally a new chapter. This chapter is mainly Emma and Jas. Don't worry this is still Swan Queen but Jas is a part of Emma's story we need to wrap up before we can get our lovely ladies together. Sorry it's been so long. I hope you like it and people are still reading it.**

 **Review, Follow, Favorite or do nothing.**

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It took Emma just over five minutes to make her way to the Rabbit Hole. She knew using magic would get her there quicker, but she couldn't risk Jas catching her. She stood outside of the Rabbit Hole for what felt like forever, she couldn't get the look of hurt on Regina's face out of her mind. She wished she knew what Regina was feeling but one thing she had learnt very quickly was that Regina Mills wasn't one to be open about her feelings. She put Regina to the back of her mind, she could only deal with one woman at a time and right now she needed to get rid of Jas. She pushed the door to the Rabbit Hole open, she walked into the bar and there she found Jas sprawled over the pool table with a shot of tequila in one hand and the pool cube in the other. Looking at Jas, Emma realised the reason why she kept going back to her. She had slept with a lot of women during her time in Boston but none of them were anything special. She hadn't noticed it until now, but Jas resembled a young Regina. She had shoulder length wavy hair, deep dark brown eyes and a smile that could light up any room. The only real differences between the women were that Regina was slightly shorter, she had a scar above her and her complexion was darker. She wondered if that was the reason she was so drawn to Jas. Emma was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Jas.

"Whose next then?"

"Nobody because were leaving."

Emma pulled the pool cube out of Jas's hand and placed it on the table. She grabbed the shot of tequila and downed it.

"Hey, that was mine" Jas slurred.

"You've had enough, I said we're going."

Emma placed her arm under Jas's and started to lead her out of the bar. When they reached the door, Jas tripped and pushed Emma into a nearby wall. Jas brushed the hair out of Emma's face, placed her hand on the blonde's cheek then pressed a kiss to Emma's lips.

Emma shoved Jas off her and she fell to the floor.

"What the Fuck Jas" she snapped.

"I love it when you're aggressive, but I think we should at least wait until we're behind closed doors."

Emma helped her up from the floor and started to walk away.

"What are you doing here?"

"I didn't know it was a crime to come and visit your girlfriend after she up and leaves without any explanation."

Emma took a couple of deep breathes because if she didn't she knew things wouldn't end well.

"Jas, listen very carefully. The night I left, I told you that you were nothing more than a bit of fun. You were something to fill the void, I was just lonely, and you were there."

"Emma, I don't understand, you told me you loved me."

Emma couldn't remember ever uttering those three words to Jas, to be perfectly honest there wasn't much she could remember about living in Boston. She was either working, getting drunk or having sex. She knew it wasn't healthy but that was the only way she could cope.

"Jas, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I didn't tell you I loved you."

"Yes, you did. I'm not some bunny boiler Em, I know when I'm not wanted but that night you were so sincere, and I knew from that moment I loved you too."

Emma didn't really know what to say, she knew she needed to talk to Jas properly.

"Jas, we really need to talk."

"I've rented a room at Granny's so why don't we put it to good use" Jas husked.

"Jas, I know how your mind works, if we went up to your room we wouldn't be doing much talking."

"That's my point let me remind you of why you love me."

"No amount of sex could make me love you Jas. I'm sorry but there isn't a future for us and I think you should leave."

"I'm not leaving until we talk properly and besides I've been drinking so I can't drive."

"Fine, you can stay at Granny's for ONE night but first thing tomorrow you will get in your car and head back to Boston. I don't want to see you again."

"Emma, we live five minutes apart, we shop in the same places and go to the same bars. How do you think we won't ever see each other?"

Emma knew Jas was right, they had the same circle of friends. Even if Emma moved, changed the places she shopped and places she drank. The chances are they would still see each other, a lot.

"I'm not coming back to Boston, I'm moving back home."

Emma hadn't really made a decision to move home, but she knew it was the right thing for her.

"Emma Swan, the party animal is going to move back to this sleepy little town. What exactly will you do here?"

"Jas, I've not always been a party animal, you don't really know anything about me. I came to Boston to get away from my problems and I did that by drinking way too much and sleeping around. I need to sort myself out and the only way I can do that is by coming home" Emma explained.

She hoped that by coming home she could start feeling like herself again, she had a lot of bridges to build with Henry, her parents, Regina and she couldn't do that in Boston. She knew it wouldn't happen overnight, but she needed to at least try.

"I'm going to head over to Granny's, I think you should come with me and we can talk properly. I don't want to leave here on bad terms" Jas sighed.

Emma knew she owed this to Jas.

"Okay, we can head over to Granny's and talk but I won't stay longer than an hour."

"That's all I want, I want us to say goodbye properly. You might not have feelings for me Emma, but you were a big part of my life. I don't want this to end but they say if you love something let them go, if they return, they were always yours. If they don't they never were. I believe that we were meant to be together Emma, it was just the wrong time."

Emma didn't want to hurt Jas any more than she already had so she decided the best thing to do now, was to say nothing. The walk to Granny's was silent, neither woman knew what to say. After a few minutes they arrived at Granny's, they headed upstairs, and Jas unlocked her room.

"It's not the Ritz but it's only for one night."

"You're such a snob."

Emma looked around the room and couldn't believe that Granny had given Jas the same room she had on her first night in StoryBrooke.

"Do you want a drink?" Jas asked.

Emma walked over to the bed, kicked her shoes off and made herself comfortable.

"You've never been shy, have you?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Just making yourself at home, you did that the first night we met too."

"Firstly, this isn't your home and secondly the night we met, we went to yours and had sex."

"Yes, but the next morning you made yourself breakfast, had a shower and even washed your clothes. In my book that's making yourself at home."

"Well, I was hungry, smelt and needed my clothes clean for work" Emma joked.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did but go on."

"That woman, the one that I knocked over earlier. Is she the one?"

"Regina?"

"She's pretty, I can see why you love her."

"I don't love Regina, we've just got a lot of history that's all."

"Emma, don't lie to me. You at least owe me the truth" Jas sighed.

"Jas, that is the truth. Regina and I share nothing but a son. We've been through so much over the years and we're more like family" Emma explained.

She wasn't sure whether she was trying to convince Jas, or herself.

"Emma, I seen the way you looked at her at Granny's. Your eyes were full of so much love. When she stormed out with Henry, her face was full of hurt it was obvious she felt the same."

"Jas that doesn't mean anything, of course I love Regina but like I said it's because she's family and the only reason she was hurt was because I had upset Henry."

"That's not just it, there's something else too."

"What are you talking about?" Emma questioned.

"I didn't want to say anything because, well I didn't want to embarrass you. About a week after our first night together. That night when we went to that hotel to have sex, well you called me Regina."

Emma couldn't remember that happening, the only thing she could remember about that weekend was the amount of alcohol she consumed and the amount of sex she had.

"Jas…I'm"

"Don't apologise, don't get me wrong it did bruise my ego, but I got over it relatively quick. I had a feeling the only reason you were sleeping around was to forget something or someone. We've all done it Em. I just wished you had been honest about your feelings and not led me on."

"I didn't mean to lead you on, I didn't know what I was feeling. I've never been very good at admitting my feelings. I was on a path of destruction and I guess you got caught up in it."

"It's fine, I'm over it. I would just like one thing before I leave. Spend the night with me?"

"Jas, won't that confuse things?"

"We don't have to have sex, unless you want to. It's just we haven't spent the night apart in weeks and if this is the last time I'm going to see you I want us to part as friends."

Emma knew Jas was right, for nearly 3 months they had slept in the same bed and she knew it would be hard for her to get used to too. They weren't in a relationship, they shared a bed, had sex and then in the morning they would go their separate ways until Emma got off work at 12am. Once or twice they went on dates, but it wasn't anything fancy. Emma knew that Jas thought it was a relationship and she shouldn't have let her think like that but it was easier than trying to figure out what they were.

"Okay, I will spend the night with you but NO sex. If we're going to part as friends I don't want to blur the lines. We can watch a film, eat junk food and then go to sleep."

"That's all I ask."

Almost 6 hours went by, Emma and Jas watched films, laughed and ate so much food. Emma wished she hadn't slept with Jas because they would have probably been good friends if they kept their clothes on.

"I'm exhausted, shall we get some sleep. I've got a long drive tomorrow."

Emma pulled off her jeans and climbed under the blanket.

"Em, there's no need to hide your body."

"Sorry, it's just I know how irresistible I am" she joked.

"Yes, you are but I can keep my hands to myself. I get it, we're just friends."

Jas climbed under the blanket, plumped up her pillow and led down.

"One thing I can say about this place is that the bed is comfier than the Ritz."

Emma leaned on her side, placed her arm under her face and brushed a piece of hair from the side of Jas's face. Every night for 3 months she had kissed Jas goodnight and tonight was no different. She knew it would make things complicated, but it was force of habit. Emma leaned down, kissed Jas on the lips and pulled away slightly. Regina's face flashed in her mind and for a split second it was almost as if she was kissing her instead. She pressed another gentle kiss to Jas's lips, she pulled away and again Regina's face flashed through her mind. Emma decided not to question what that meant, she rolled over and closed her eyes. Emma was woken by a banging on the door, she rolled over and checked the clock. Who the hell was at the door at 8:00am. She climbed out of bed, slowly walked over to the door and pulled it open. She didn't expect Regina to be on the other side. Emma looked down and realised she was only wearing a white tank top and a red pair of lace knickers. She closed the door, ran over to the bed and pulled on her jeans. She walked back over to the door and pulled it back open.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting visitors. How did you know I was here?"

"Granny told me. Henry is waiting downstairs, he would like to talk to us _both_. So, if you're not too busy with whatever this is then he would appreciate if you would join us."

Emma knew that Regina had gotten the wrong end of the stick and right now she didn't have the time to explain. She needed to see Jas off and then see what Henry wanted.

"Give me five minutes and I will join you both."

"Five minutes and no longer otherwise Henry will leave and that will be another bridge you've burnt in this town and you've only been back a day. I will see you in five minutes Miss Swan."

Regina turned away and headed down the corridor. Emma shook her head, that comment had left her rather confused. She needed to get to the bottom of what Regina meant and she needed to do it soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Hello my pretties, I'm so sorry that it's been a minute since I've updated but I've had so much going on in my life. Some stressful and some really exciting and I can't wait to finally share it with you all. This is a long chapter and just a heads up Regina is a bitch in this chapter but you've got to understand she thinks Emma slept with Jas so she is feeling super hurt. We finally find out what Henry wants to talk to his mothers about. I hope you enjoy this chapter guys and I'm sorry it's taken me so long.**

 **Much love**

 **Follow, Favourite, Review or do nothing :)**

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Chapter 6

Emma walked over to the bed, knelt and shook Jas.

"Jas, you've got to wake up."

Jas grunted, rolled over and started to snore. Emma pulled the blanket off her and tried to drag her out of bed.

"Jas, I'm being serious. I have five minutes to get down stairs. You need to get up and go home."

Emma knew five minutes wasn't enough time to get Jas up and see her off. She decided Henry was more important.

"Fine, take your time and I will be back up once I've spoken to Henry."

Jas grunted again and pulled the blanket back over herself.

Emma grabbed her phone, chucked her hair in a messy bun and headed out of the room. She was sure Regina said Henry wanted to speak to both of them, so it couldn't be about her and Jas. She stood at the top of the stairs and her phone started to vibrate. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and swiped it open. It was a message off Ruby.

 _ **What the hell have you done to Regina?**_

Emma read the message at least four or five times. What did Ruby mean, she hadn't done anything to Regina. She had only encountered the brunette for 30 seconds this morning and that wasn't enough time to piss her off.

 _ **Ruby, come upstairs.**_

Emma knew it was just easier to talk to Ruby face to face rather than try and decipher her texts. Emma sat down, leaned against the wall and waited for Ruby. Less than a minute later her best friend was at the top of the stairs. Emma pushed herself off the wall and stood up.

Ruby slapped the top of Emma's arm.

"How the hell could you do that to Regina?"

"Do what, Ruby I haven't got a clue what you're talking about. Please explain?"

"Sleep with Jas and then open the door to Regina half naked."

"I didn't sleep with Jas, well I did sleep with her, but we didn't have sex."

Ruby swatted Emma's arm again.

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"We shared a bed, as friends. We didn't have sex and when I opened the door I didn't know who was on the other side. Regina's got this completely wrong and I'm not really sure why she would care."

"She cares because she's in love with you... Shit I shouldn't have said anything. Ignore that...I'm going to get Belle and Esme and leave StoryBrooke before Regina hits me with her fireball. I'm such a bad friend."

"Ruby, don't be daft. Regina isn't in love with me. Wait, is she?" She questioned.

Emma had always felt there was something more between the pair, but she just thought it was all one sided. Could the Evil Queen really love her back?

"Emma, please don't tell her I told you. She's struggling a lot with the feelings she has for you and this will make things a lot more complicated" Ruby sighed.

"So, you want me to walk round as if I don't know?" Emma asked.

"Yes, that would work perfectly. It won't be forever, just until she's ready to talk to you about them, you know how reluctant she is when it comes to talking about her feelings."

"Well, yes. She did curse a whole Kingdom instead of talking about her feelings" Emma joked.

"She did that for revenge, but I understand what you mean."

Emma looked at her phone and she had been talking to Ruby for a lot longer than five minutes, she hoped that Henry hadn't left.

"Shit, I better get down there. I hope they haven't left. Regina will convince Henry I was too busy with Jas."

"I will back you up, I will say I need some advice from you."

Ruby and Emma walked downstairs and headed into Granny's diner. Just as they walked through the door Henry and Regina were getting ready to leave.

"I'm so sorry, I'm here now don't go" she pleaded.

"What did I expect from you, you haven't once been there for Henry when he's really needed you. We're going. I hope you've got that woman out of my town."

"Henry please. I was on my way down when Ruby stopped to ask my advice and I lost track of time" she sighed.

"Hah, what advice could Ruby possible want from you. How to sleep around without getting an STI" Regina snorted.

She didn't mean to say that it just came out, she knew she should apologise to Emma, but she was too hurt.

"No, it was advice about Esme."

"Advice about a child, what would you know about that. Believe it or not Miss Swan you need to have raised a child to give out parenting advice. Since you've been in Henry's life you've hardly been consistent have you" she snapped.

Regina knew that was another low blow, she couldn't control herself. Emma decided it was best for her to just ignore Regina, of course the comments were hurting her, but she guessed this must have been how Regina felt when she saw her in Jas's room. Emma rolled her eyes, turned away from Regina and moved towards Henry.

"Kid, please."

Henry dropped his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"Henry give Emma the benefit of the doubt."

Henry looked up at Ruby and smiled.

"You always give such good advice."

"I know, I will bring you all some drinks."

Ruby started to walk off towards the counter.

"Aunt Ruby, can you please stay. I think I'm going to need some moral support."

Henry had already spoke to Ruby about his problem, he hadn't always called her aunt. It started when Esme got old enough to talk. She would often ask why she called Henry's mum aunt, but he didn't call hers and from then on, he did. He would always call Ruby first if he needed advice and this time was no different.

"Henry, you're scaring me. What could you possibly need to talk to us about that you need moral support?" Regina asked.

"I need moral support because like always my mothers are at each other's throats, I thought you two were getting on better. "

"We're not at each other's throats kid, it's banter."

"How do you even know what Banter is?"

Emma flicked the top of Henry's ear.

"I'm not that old. I know about banter, Twitter, instagran and even Netflix and chill."

"It's Instagram and that's gross. You're too old to Netflix and chill."

Again, Emma flicked the top of his ear. She hoped this was the start of Henry forgiving her and them getting back on track.

"I'm completely lost. I will admit I'm old, I have no idea what twitagran is or Netflix and chill. Now back to being serious. Henry are you gay, is that what you want to tell us? It's not like we would love you any less if you were."

"Well, of course you wouldn't but I'm not gay. I actually have a girlfriend but that's a topic for another day."

"You have a girlfriend?" Regina yelled.

"I'm a bit concerned about the fact you wouldn't care if he was gay, but you sound annoyed that he has a girlfriend" Ruby joked.

"I'm sorry Dear, I didn't mean to sound annoyed. You're not sick, are you?" She questioned.

"No, I'm not sick mum."

"How about instead of you trying to guess what he wants to talk about we just sit down and let the kid speak" Emma suggested.

"Fine."

Henry walked over to the nearest booth and slid in, followed by Emma. Ruby and Regina sat across from them.

Emma turned to Henry and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Whatever you want to talk to us about kid, you know we will always love and support you."

"I hate to agree with Emma, but I agree with Emma. You will always be our son no matter what."

Henry smiled, took a deep breath and counted to ten.

"Here goes, I've dropped out of school, decided to move back home and get a job with Grandpa in the station and work on my book" he blurted.

"You've done what" Emma yelled.

"I didn't expect that, why have you decided to drop out of school."

"College just wasn't for me, I hardly went and when I was there I wasn't really enjoying it. I'm home sick and being here I can really work on my book and be surrounded by family as well. I feel like I'm missing so much being away from home" he explained.

"Kid, you won't get very far in this world without a college degree. I wish I had gone to college and done something with my life."

Emma didn't mean it like that, even though she gave him up, Henry would always be the one thing she had gotten right in her life.

"You mean you wished you never had me and had a high paying career and lived alone" he snapped.

"Henry don't twist Emma's words. That's not what she meant, and you know it."

"Thanks Ruby, no I didn't mean that. You were the best thing I did with my life and if I had the choice between College and you then I would pick you ten times over. I just meant maybe if I went to College before I had you then I could have given you a better life or even after I gave you up then maybe I could have been in your life sooner. Having a college degree opens up so many opportunities, I just don't want you to regret your decision a few years down the line" she sighed.

"What happened to you will love and support me no matter what?" He questioned.

"Loving and supporting you is not the same as loving you and being happy about it. I will always love you and support this decision, but I won't be happy about it. Did Grandpa agree to this?"

"Not yet. Mum what do you think about it all, you've been very quiet."

"Darling, I wish you had stuck it out but if you weren't happy being there then I don't want you to stay somewhere you're not happy. If you want to come back home and work on your book, then I'm happy for you. If you help around the house and work weekends at the station, then I can get on board with it. As long as you're happy then I'm happy. It's your life darling, I've got to let you live it."

Henry didn't expect that reaction from his mothers. It was the complete opposite. He thought that Emma would be the one to agree with his decision and Regina would be totally against it.

"See, I told you that you had nothing to worry about. How about you come and see Esme for a little bit."

"That sounds like a good idea, I might pop to Grandma's and pick Neal up then take them both to the park if that's okay?" he asked.

"They would love that."

"Darling, can you pick up Esme's overnight bag and bring her home with you after the park. We can order pizza and have a movie night if you would like?"

"I would love that mum. Thank you for being so understanding"

Emma stood up and allowed Henry to slid out of the booth, she kissed the top of his head.

"I will see you tomorrow for Neal's party kid."

Henry leaned over, kissed Regina's cheek and headed out of Granny's.

Regina didn't want to admit it, but she was very happy with Henry's decision, having him home meant she wouldn't have to be alone all the time.

Regina slid out of the booth, glanced at Emma and started to walk out of Granny's. She was just shy of the door when she heard Granny call Emma.

"Emma, dear. Your lady friend has checked out and asked me to give you this."

"She just upped and left. Did she say anything to you?" Emma asked.

"She just handed me this bracelet and said she's letting you go" Granny replied.

Emma took the bracelet off Granny and smiled. Emma won the bracelet for Jas from the arcade, it wasn't anything special, but Jas loved it. Emma knew Jas was moving on, she wished she got the chance to say goodbye, but she knew it was better this way. Emma was feeling so much better about everything, she still needed to sort out a job, place to live and well her feelings for Regina but she hoped everything would sort it's self out eventually. Regina headed out of Granny's and couldn't help but smirk, her competition had left and now all she needed to do was work out how to tell Emma she was in love with her.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry I've been MIA guys. I've been on holiday, attending the OUAT convention, working and spending a lot of time in and out of the hospital. I'm having a major operation at the end of next month so hopefully will have more time to write.**

 **Zelena comes back to town with a surprise, Emma and Regina finally talk and something unexpected happens between the pair.**

 **Follow, Favourite, Review or do nothing just enjoy.**

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7

Regina walked out of Granny's, as she walked down the steps and onto the path she could feel Emma's eyes on her. She wasn't sure why the blonde was watching her, but she couldn't lie it felt nice. She headed down main street and made her way to her office. She had a few meetings this morning and then was spending the afternoon helping Snow with last minute party preparation. She walked up the stairs, pushed open the doors and headed down the corridor to her office. Regina stopped just shy of her secretary's desk.

"Morning Miss Mills, here's your morning coffee."

"Thank you, Riley, can you please cancel my morning meetings, push them back until after the weekend."

"Of course, Miss Mills. There's one meeting I can't cancel as she's already in your office. I did try to stop her, but she was pretty insistent" Riley explained.

Regina knew it was probably Snow waiting for her, for the last week she hadn't stopped calling. It had been late night calls about Neal's cake to early morning calls about decorations. Regina didn't mind because after all Snow was her family and you can't choose family, but she honestly couldn't wait until Neal's party was over.

"Thank you, Riley."

Regina pushed open the door to her office.

"Snow, I will be over this afternoon. The party will be perfect stop worrying."

Regina looked around her office and Snow was nowhere to be seen. A few seconds later her desk chair span round and she was greeted by a very familiar face.

"I've been expecting you."

"What the hell are you doing here? she asked.

"I've always wanted to do that. Is that anyway to talk to your sister. Get over here and give me a hug."

Zelena pushed herself off the chair and made her way over to Regina.

"Your...your pregnant?"

"Yes, and I wanted to tell you in person" Zelena replied.

"Congratulations."

Regina placed her hands on Zelena's bump and felt two hard kicks against her hands.

"You're huge, you must be due pretty soon."

"I'm only 4 months pregnant, I'm having twins."

"Twins, well I wasn't expecting that. Where's Robin and Mike, did they stay in the enchanted forest?

"Mike and I are no longer together. I bumped into Henry on the way over, he was taking Esme to the park and Robin wanted to spend some time with her big cousin."

Regina took a sip of her coffee, walked over to her desk and sat down.

"What the hell happened? Did he hurt you? Do I need to send a fire ball to the enchanted forest?"

Regina couldn't help but feel protective over Zelena. She knew they hadn't always seen eye to eye and had lost out on growing up together, but Zelena would always be her sister and she would always protect her.

"No, he didn't hurt me, and I don't need the Evil Queen to protect me because you might be evil but I'm wicked and wicked always wins" she joked.

"I'm not the Evil Queen anymore but if Evil is what I need to be to protect my family then so be it. So, what really happened?"

"I found out that he wasn't so keen about raising Robin as he first told me, and he wasn't happy when I told him I was pregnant. So, I packed up our stuff and left. I was wondering would it be okay…if we stayed with you, just until I found somewhere in town."

"The house has been extremely quiet since you all left, and I've missed it, of course you can come and stay with me as long as you like."

"Thank you, truth be told I'm not sure how I'm going to raise a 4-year-old and two babies on my own. I had a huge support system in the enchanted forest but here I know everyone has forgiven me for everything I did but they don't see me like family, not like they see you" Zelena sighed.

"You've got me and Henry. We are your family and we will be right by your side through it all. The Charming's and this town didn't forgive me right away, it took a long time for them to stop seeing me as the Evil Queen and start seeing me as just Regina. If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would be planning the birthday party of Snow White and Prince Charming's son I would have ripped their heart out and crushed it."

Regina finished the rest of her coffee, walked over to the bin and placed the cup inside it. She walked back to her desk, pushed her chair out of the way and stared out the window.

"I suppose you're right. How has everything been lately?" Zelena asked.

"Henry's home so everything is good" she lied.

She hoped that Zelena would believe her because she didn't want to get into the whole Emma thing.

"Regina, you can't lie to me. I'm your sister, I thought we promised to always be truthfully with one another."

"Zelena, everything is fine" she sighed.

Regina walked towards her office door, pulled the it open and motioned for Zelena to leave.

"You can't push me away so easily, talk to me."

Regina knew it wasn't going to be that easy, but she really didn't want to open that can of worms. She didn't want anyone else to know about her feelings for Emma, of course, Zelena was her sister and you are supposed to share everything with your sister but Emma and Zelena didn't have the best past, also Zelena doesn't know the meaning of subtle so the whole town would likely find out within the hour. She wasn't embarrassed about her feelings, she just wanted to speak to Emma about them first before it was all over town. She wasn't sure how Emma was going to react, but she had spent too long denying herself happiness and burying her feelings she wasn't sure how much longer she could do it. Regina knew she wouldn't be seeing Emma until the party, so it gave her some time to prepare. Every time the blonde looked at her, Regina's got butterflies and when Emma spoke to her she could practically feel her heart beating out of her chest.

"Everything is fine, how about you head home and set up the guest room for you and Robin, I've got a few things to do and then I will be home."

"Okay, but this isn't over. Let me cook dinner for us tonight and we can have a proper catch up."

"That would be lovely."

"I will see you tonight."

Zelena waddled out of the office, Regina grabbed her phone and sent Snow a message. She placed her phone on the desk, switched on her computer and decided to do some work until Snow replied. She checked a few emails, flicked through the last few months budgets reports and turned off the computer. She checked the time, she had been working for the last hour and decided that was enough for today. She packed up her things, walked out of the office and locked the door.

"Riley, I'm going to call it a day. Take the rest of the day off and enjoy the weekend."

"Are you sure?" Riley asked.

"Yes, I will pay you for the whole day of course."

"Thank you very much."

"It's not a problem, I will see you Monday."

Regina walked down the corridor and out of the town hall. She made her way back down main street and headed towards Snow and Charming's. She wasn't sure where Emma was staying whether it was with her parents or if she had rented a room at Granny's, after all she wasn't staying for long, so she was probably staying with her parents. Regina felt her back pocket vibrate, she pulled out her phone and checked the message off Snow. She was glad Snow was available to reschedule because she was already outside their front door. She knocked on the door, waited a few seconds and then let herself in.

"Snow I'm here" she called.

"I'm in the kitchen with Ruby and Belle."

Regina made her way through the house into the kitchen.

"Is everything okay?" Snow asked.

Regina pulled out a chair and sat across from Snow.

"Everything is fine, why do you ask?"

"It's just we had arranged to finish party planning around three and well it's not even lunchtime and you're here."

"Everything is fine, Zelena is moving back home and I promised I would be home for dinner."

"Zelena is back?" Ruby asked.

"When did that happen?" Belle questioned.

Regina stood up, headed to the fridge, opened the door and grabbed herself a bottle of water. Since she had spent every Thursday evening at the Charming's she had felt more comfortable at making herself at home, well it took her a while and Snow telling her she was family before she fully felt at home.

"You can all relax, Zelena isn't here to cast any curses or hurt anyone. Besides I thought you had all forgiven her. She's back for a fresh start so can we get on with this party planning."

"How can you be sure?" Ruby asked.

"Regina, we've all forgiven her, it will just take us some time to see her as family" Snow explained.

"Well Zelena is pregnant that's how I can be sure she's not here to hurt anyone. She needs some extra help and I'm the only family she has."

"Zelena's pregnant?"

"Yes, she is pregnant with twins."

"So, there's going to be three mini Zelena's running around. That is fantastic" Ruby replied.

"Babe, you might want to watch the sarcasm" Belle whispered.

"Yes, there will be three mini Zelena's running around and she will need all the help she can get so I would appreciate if you could help out when the time comes."

"Of course, we will Regina."

"Yeah count us in" Ruby replied.

"Regina did Emma come by your office this morning?" Snow asked.

"No, I haven't seen her since I left her at Granny's. Is she okay?"

Regina started to panic, when she left Emma this morning they didn't exactly part on good terms, even she couldn't believe some of the things she said to the blonde. She knew she needed to apologise to Emma, but she was also too stubborn to admit she was in the wrong.

"She didn't really tell me what she wanted to talk to you about, but she said it was important."

A few seconds later Emma came into the kitchen, she was wearing a pair of shorts, an oversized jumper and odd socks. Her blonde hair was chucked up in a messy bun, she had stains all over her jumper and was wearing no makeup, but Regina still thought she looked beautiful.

"Emma are you only just getting up?" Snow asked.

"I didn't sleep much last night and I met Henry at Granny's pretty early so I came back here to crash."

"Well now you're awake you can help us with party planning."

"There's already four of you planning. How many adults does it take to plan a kid's birthday party" Emma joked.

"It's either that or you can spend the afternoon blowing up balloons and wrapping Neal's presents."

"Sorry Mum, I actually need to discuss a few things with Regina so do you mind if I steal her for a little bit?" Emma asked.

"I think we've got everything covered here so if Regina doesn't mind then she's all yours."

Emma got butterflies at the thought of Regina being all hers. Regina wasn't sure what Emma could possibly want to talk to her about.

"No, I don't mind, I actually have a few things I would like to discuss with Emma as well."

"Shall we go upstairs?" Emma asked.

"It's a nice afternoon so why don't we sit on the porch."

"Sounds like a plan."

Emma finished pouring herself a cup of coffee, placed the pot on the counter and headed towards the front door followed by Regina. Emma pulled open the door and motioned for Regina to walk through it.

"Ladies first."

Emma couldn't help but check out Regina's arse as she walked past her. Regina sat down on the porch swing, Emma sat across from her and crossed her legs. Emma had a lot she wanted to say to Regina, but she didn't want to let slip that she knew about Regina's feelings for her after all that would cause problems for Ruby.

"Is everything okay Emma, you're sweating."

"Everything is fine, it's just a little hot out here. Firstly, I want to apologise for this morning and clear up the whole Jas situation. I didn't expect her to just turn up like that, so I'm sorry for that. I know having an outsider isn't good and I shouldn't have compromised the town. Secondly, I was wondering if I could…maybe have my job back as sheriff?"

Regina didn't know what to say, Emma was apologising, and she knew she also needed to apologise.

"Emma, I'm also sorry I should never have said those things to you this morning, I was hurt and extremely out of line. Wait, does that mean you're moving back?"

Regina started to get those butterflies again, Emma was coming home and that meant maybe they had a chance of being together, well, that was if Emma felt the same.

"Yes, I've realised that I was running away, and I can't live my life like that. I need to come home and spend more time with my family. I know I have a lot of bridges to rebuild but I really want to try" Emma sighed.

She knew it wouldn't happen overnight, she had a lot of making up to do but she was willing to put in the work to make it up to everyone, starting with Regina. She needed to be honest with the brunette and it was now or never.

"Yes, Miss Swan, I think you do have a lot of bridges to rebuild and I think you should start with our son."

"I know I've hurt Henry more than anyone and of course I will make it up to him. However, I have something else on my list to do first."

"What is that exactly?" Regina questioned.

Emma leaned over and pressed a kiss to Regina's cheek. She hesitated there, her mouth close to Regina's and her heart beating wildly awaiting her reaction. She hadn't thought about what she was doing, it had been instinct to kiss Regina. Regina was still for a moment, as though Emma had shocked her, and then she turned and kissed the blonde. It felt better than Regina imagined it would. Her lips crushed Emma's in a passionate kiss, their tongues tangling, and she lost herself in the hard-demanding feel of it. Emma's mouth was warm, inviting and she didn't pause to think. She kissed her back, sliding her hands over Emma's shoulders as Emma's hands tangled in her hair. After what felt like forever, Emma pulled back when the need for air was too much.

"Well, that was different" Emma breathed.

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 **A/N 2: So our favourite ladies have their first kiss, it was unexpected and I wonder how they will both react to it.**


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